Kitchen range construction



p 22, 1964 H. M. REEVES 3,149,624

KITCHEN RANGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 29; 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HERBERT M. Raves BY fa W, m 010...,

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Sept. 22, 1964 H. M. REEVES 3,149,624

KITCHEN RANGE CONSTRUCTION v Filed Aug. 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Egg [6 I INVEN TOR. HERBERT M. REEves United States Patent 3,149,624 KITCHEN RANGE CGNSTRUtCTiON Herbert M. Reeves, Kankalree, Iil., assignor to Geo. D. Roper Corporation, Kankakee, Ill., a corporation of Massachusetts Fiied Aug. 29, 196i Ser. No. 52,539 2 Claims. (Cl. 126-37) The invention relates to kitchen ranges generally and more particularly to improvements in the body and associated parts of such ranges.

Modern kitchen design frequently requires that the range be incorporated in a common assembly or line of countertop cabinets, sinks or other kitchen furnishings. For the sake of appearance, it is usually desirable that the range have the same finish as the furnishings with which it is associated. This presents no serious problem when the cabinets or other furnishings are finished with paint or enamel as is the general practice with steel cabinets. There is a problem, however, when cabinets with a natural wood finish are involved as such finishes cannot be matched satisfactorily with vitreous enamels.

With the above in view, one object of the invention is to provide an improved range construction which permits the exposed portions of the range body to be encased with wood, plastic or other non-heat-resistant panels which may be finished to match substantially any cabinet finish including a natural wood finish.

Another object is to provide a range construction to which outer panels of plywood, laminated plastic or comparable material may be quickly and easily applied and in which the paneling and its surface finish is effectively protected from damage by heat from the operation of the oven or broiler.

A further object is to provide a novel mounting for the broiler drawer of a range having a panel finished oven door of the above general character which mounting prevents the drawer from being left in a position to direct heated air from the broiler compartment to the oven door panel.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved construction for kitchen ranges which materially facilitates production in that a single basic range structure may be finished with exterior paneling to match substantially any kitchen furnishings with which the range may be associated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of an assembly of cabinets and a kitchen range finished to match the cabinets in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective View of the oven door provided in the range shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through the range taken in a vertical plane substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 1 showing the manner in which the broiler drawer is mounted to afford protection for the finish of the oven door paneling.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the range body and oven door taken in a horizontal plane substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 3 showing the structure providing a seal at the sides of the oven door.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing details of the sealing strip and its mounting on the stove body.

While a single preferred embodiment of the inven tion has been shown and will be described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to details of the exemplary form shown, the intention being to cover all modifications and adaptations falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as more broadly or generally characterized in the appended claims.

For purposes of illustration, the invention has been shown as incorporated in a kitchen range 10 adapted to be installed in a line or assembly of kitchen furnishings such as table height cabinets 11 of wood construction, which may be assumed to have a natural wood finish. The particular range shown is a gas range, although it will be understood that certain features of the invention are applicable as well to electric ranges.

The exemplary range is designed for installation between two cabinets and consequently only the front is exposed to view. Substantially the entire front surface is made up by a door 12 closing the usual oven compartment and a front panel 13 of a broiler drawer 14 slidable within a broiler compartment disposed directly below the oven. The compartments, of course, are formed in the body of the range by suitable partitioning structures and enclosed at the sides and back by sheet metal Walls or paneling. In gas ranges, the oven and broiler compartments are usually heated by a common burner supported below the oven with its flame directly exposed to food products carried by a pan fitted into the drawer 14.

In carrying out the invention, the structure defining the vertical surfaces of the range exposed to view are constructed and arranged so that they may be covered with outer or face panels of wood, plastic or other non-heatresistant material. To protect such face panels from damage by the heat of the oven or broiler compartment, provision is made for supporting them so as to leave an insulating air space between the metal range body and the outer or decorative face panels. Moreover, the invention provides for mounting the decorative panels in a manner which effectively conceals their spacing from the heated parts of the range and at the same time provides for the circulation of cooling air through that space.

As the exemplary range shown in FIG. 1 has only its front surface exposed to view, the improved panel mounting has been applied to the oven door 12 and to the front face of the broiler drawer 14. The control panel 15, in this instance, is formed as an integral flange of the cooking top 16 and is usually similarly finished in vitreous enamel. By way of illustration, it will be assumed that the cabinets 11 with which the range 10 is alined have a natural wood finish and that the oven door and broiler drawer are faced with similarly finished panels of plywood.

The structure for mounting decorative panels on various parts of the range may be substantially the same as that for mounting the panel 20 on the oven door 12 as shown 7 in FIGS. 2-4. The oven door may be of the usual construction comprising a pair of rectangular flanged sheet metal stampings assembled as a unit and defining spaced inner and outer Wall members 21 and 22. The space between the wall members is desirably filled with insulating material 23 to minimize heat transfer from the oven to the outer wall member. It will be understood that the door is suitably hinged to the range body to swing about a horizontal axis adjacent its lower edge between open and closed positions.

For supporting and positioning the panel 2% on the door, a series of brackets 25 are rigidly secured to and project outwardly from the front face of the wall member 2 2. The brackets are alike and in the preferred form shown in FIG. 4, each comprises a narrow strip of steel or the like having one end portion 26 bent over at right angles to lie flush against the face of the wall member 22. The bent-over portion of the bracket may be secured to the wall member by spot welding or in any other pre ferred manner.

The other or outer end of the bracket strip is bent into a loop presenting a pair of spaced legs disposed generally parallel to the face of the wall member, the outer leg 27 presenting a flat bearing surface for cooperation with the panel 26. In the exemplary oven door shown in FIG. 2, three such brackets are provided adjacent each side edge of the door and two of the brackets are provided adjacent the upper and lower edges of the door. The tips 27 of the brackets all lie in a common plane for engagement with the inner face of the panel 2% which is thus located parallel to and spaced from the front face of the wall member 22.

While the panel 26 may be secured to the brackets 25 in any suitable manner, it is preferred to utilize clamping means 2e for that purpose. The clamping means as shown comprises a U-shaped metal frame made up of side strips 29 and a top strip 3% all of channel-shaped cross section. The channel-shaped strips are faced inwardly and the parts are dimensioned to fit snugly around the side and top edges of the panel it) with the flanges of the strips cmbracing the edge portion of the panel and the inner legs of the loops on the ends of the brackets 25.

The lower end of the frame 23 is closed by a bottom strip 31 similar to the strip and secured by screws, bolts or spot welding to integral lugs 32 provided on the lower ends of the side strips Thus, the panel 2% and the oven door are secured together as a unit with the panel spaced from the outer wall 22 of the door sufficiently to preclude damage to the panel or its finish by heat conducted or radiated from the oven.

A second frame 35 fitted around the frame 28 serves to conceal the openings to the space between the panel 2t) and the front face of the door 12 without preventing the circulation of cooling air through that space. shown in FIG. 2, the frame 35 includes channel-shaped side members 36 and a top member 37 secured together to form a Ushaped structure adapted to fit snugly around the frame 23. A channel-shaped bottom member 33 extends between the lower ends of the side members and may be secured by screws, bolts or spot welding to lugs 39 provided on the ends of the side members.

As will be seen by reference to FIG. 4 of the drawings, the members forming the frame 35 are dimensioned so that their front flanges overlie the edge portion of the panel 26 while their rear flanges abut the frontface of the outer wall member 22 of the oven door. To avoid closing off air circulation through the space between the panel 2d and the door, the side members 36 are perforated with a series of closely spaced elongated openings 44 Preferably the top member 37 is imperforate to prevent spillage between the panel and the oven door. The bottom member 333 is also desirably imperforate to preclude the entry of hot air from the broiler compartment between the panel and the oven door when the broiler drawer is withdrawn from the broiler compartment. Additional protection from hot air from that source is provided by a' ledge formed by a strip extending across the lower edge of the wall. member 22 as shown in PEG. 2. in accordance with another aspect of the invention provision is made for protecting the oven door paneling from excessive heating due to the broiler door being left in a partially opened position in which it would direct a concentrated stream of hot air against the panel. More particularly, means is provided for automatically shifting the broiler drawer to fully closed position in the event that it is inadvertently moved to or left in a slightly open position. i

Ln the preferred form shown the automatic drawer closing means is built into the mechanism which supports and guides the drawer 14 for movement into and out of the broiler compartment. As shown in FIG. 3, that mechanism comprises pairs of opposed rails 41, 42 disposed at opposite sides of the broiler drawer. One rail of each pair, in this instance, the rail dll, is mounted on the range body within the broiler compartment for coaction with a roller 4.3 mounted on the drawer adjacent its inner end. Rail 41 as shown is formed to present a generally horizontal track portion 44 extending through the major length of the broiler compartment and terminating in a downwardly slopingtrack portion 45 adjacent the rear of the compartment.

The rails 42, in this instance, are mounted at opposite sides of the drawer 14 so as to overlie the rails 41 and for cooperation with rollers 46 mounted on the range body. Each rail 42 is shaped to present a fiat horizontal track portion 47 extending from the inner end of the drawer forwardly and term nating in an upwardly sloping track portion 48 adjacent the outer end of the drawer.

To obtain cooperative action, the rollers 43 and 46 and the inclined track portions 45 and 48 are spaced apart so that the respective rollers engage such track portions when the drawer is withdrawn at short distance, say from four to six inches, from the broiler compartment. In that position the relatively small opening presented between the top of the drawer panel 13 and the bottom edge of the oven door 12 would tend to concentrate a flow of hot air from the broiler compartment over the panel 2t? of the oven door. Such objectionable air fiow is quickly terminated when the drawer is left in that position as the rollers 43 and 46 are en aged with the inclined track portions. The weight of the drawer accordingly automatically shifts it to the fully closed position. When the drawer is pulled out farther, the rollers 43 and 46 ride on the horizontal track portions 44 and 47 and consequently the drawer remains in any position in which it is set.

The invention also provides novel and efficient means for sealing the oven against excessive leakage of hot air when the door 12 is closed. The sealing means as shown comprises a relatively resilient metal sealing strip 50 mounted on the stove body at opposite sides of the oven broiler compartments for cooperation with the side edges of the oven door and the drawer panel 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing strip is fabricated from a thin sheet of stainless steel or other suitable material folded longitudinally on itself to form inner and outer parallel strips 51 and 52. The strips are spaced apart by an intermediate integral connecting portion which may be rounded or bent to present a beveled appearance as shown. 'The inner strip 51 is terminated in a mounting flange 53 extending at right angles to the strip and adapted to fit fiushagainst the front of the range body in the side of the oven and broiler compartments. The outer strip 52 is substantially wider than the inner strip so that it overlies the side of the stove body as clearly shown in FIG. 4. Preferably the end portion of the strip 52 is bent back to form an arcuate abutment 54 engageable with the side wall of the range body to retain the sealing strip substantially parallel to the side of the stove body.

For mounting on therange body the flange 53 of the sealing strip is formed with a series of longitudinally spaced clearance holes 55 for the reception of bolts, or self-tapping screws 56 as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably, the holes are elongated transversely of the flange to provide for convenient adjustment of the sealing strip toward or from the edges of the oven door and broiler drawer front panel. It has been found desirable to adjust the sealing strip to exert substantial'pressure on the side edges of the oven door 12 and thus insure a tight seal therewith. In the vicinity of the broiler compartment, however, it is preferred to adjust the sealing strip so that it clears the drawer panel 13 and thus avoids interfering with the automatic shifting of the drawer to closed position as previously described.

. ,It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides a kitchen range of novel and improved construction. Through the novel mounting structure provided by. the invention exposed surfaces of the range body or other parts may be effectively covered with panels of plywood, plastic or other non heat-resistant materials.

Such panels, of course, may be f nished in a variety of 'ways to match other kitchen furnishings with which the range is to be installed including natural wood finishes.

By reason of the improved mounting the paneling and the finish applied thereto is effectively protected from damage by heat when the oven or broiler is in use.

The invention also provides an improved supporting and guiding mechanism for the broiler drawers of ranges paneled in the above manner which efiectively prevents the drawer from being inadvertently left in a position in which heated air from the broiler compartment is directed against the paneled oven door. The supporting and guiding mechanism is simple and practical in construction and efiicient in operation. Sealing means of a novel and advantageous character is also provided for the oven and provision is made so that it may be effectively adjusted to avoid interference with the automatic closing of the broiler drawer while still efiiciently performing its sealing action with the oven door.

I claim as my invention:

1. An oven door construction for a kitchen range for permitting the matching of the range to adjacent wooden cabinets, comprising a first sheet-metal wall member forming a portion of an oven compartment, spacing brackets disposed about the periphery of one face of said member, said spacing brackets presenting flange portions spaced from said face, a second, exterior wall member formed of decorative wood or like non-heat resistant material, a channel-shaped metallic supporting frame disposed about the periphery of said exterior wall member and adapted to engage the flange portions of said spacing brackets so as to rigidly support said exterior wall member with respect to said first wall member, in spaced relation thereto, a channel-shaped ribbon having vents therein disposed about said frame and in abutting relation with said first wall member so as to permit controlled circulation of air between said wall members to prevent heat damage to said non-heat resistant wall member.

2. A kitchen range construction for matching the same With wooden cabinets comprising, in combination, an oven, a broiler, said oven having a door comprising a first sheet-metal Wall member forming a portion of an oven compartment, 21 second, exterior wall member formed of decorative wood or like non-heat resistant material, a plurality of spacing brackets disposed on said sheet-metal wall member between said wall members, a frame for securing said non-heat resistant wall member to said spacing brackets by its peripheral portions, in order to secure the same rigidly with respect to said sheet-metal wall member, in spaced relation thereto, a channel-shaped sheet-metal ribbon disposed about said frame and in abutting relation with said sheet-metal wall member, said ribbon having a plurality of ventilating openings disposed along the vertical sides thereof only, whereby circulation of air between said wall members is permitted for protecting said secOnd, non-heat resistant Wall member from damage by oven heat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,755,691 Heise Apr. 22, 1930 1,798,115 Antrim Mar. 24, 1931 1,872,020 Taylor Aug. 16, 1932 2,328,835 Motter Sept. 7, 1943 2,408,921 Esson Oct. 8, 1946 2,438,035 Buhman et al. Mar. 16, 1948 2,526,890 Mendel Oct. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 435 Great Britain of 1876 

2. A KITCHEN RANGE CONSTRUCTION FOR MATCHING THE SAME WITH WOODEN CABINETS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN OVEN, A BROILER, SAID OVEN HAVING A DOOR COMPRISING A FIRST SHEET-METAL WALL MEMBER FORMING A PORTION OF AN OVEN COMPARTMENT, A SECOND, EXTERIOR WALL MEMBER FORMED OF DECORATIVE WOOD OR LIKE NON-HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF SPACING BRACKETS DISPOSED ON SAID SHEET-METAL WALL MEMBER BETWEEN SAID WALL MEMBERS, A FRAME FOR SECURING SAID NON-HEAT RESISTANT WALL MEMBER TO SAID SPACING BRACKETS BY ITS PERIPHERAL PORTIONS, IN ORDER TO SECURE THE SAME RIGIDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SHEET-METAL WALL MEMBER, IN SPACED RELATION THERETO, A CHANNEL-SHAPED SHEET-METAL RIBBON DISPOSED ABOUT SAID FRAME AND IN ABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID SHEET-METAL WALL MEMBER, SAID RIBBON HAVING A PLURALITY OF VENTILATING OPENINGS DISPOSED ALONG THE VERTICAL SIDES THEREOF ONLY, WHEREBY CIRCULATION OF AIR BETWEEN SAID WALL MEMBERS IS PERMITTED FOR PROTECTING SAID SECOND, NON-HEAT RESISTANT WALL MEMBER FROM DAMAGE BY OVEN HEAT. 